National Forum on Education Statistics - Forum Annual Report 2010-11

Forum Annual Report 2010-11

National Cooperative Education Statistics System
National Forum on Education Statistics

Summary
2010–11

Officers

Chairperson: Kathy Gosa, Kansas State Department of Education
Vice-Chair: David Weinberger, Yonkers Public Schools (NY)
Past Chair: Linda Rocks, Bossier Parish Schools (LA)

Standing Committees

National Education Statistics Agenda Committee (NESAC)
Chair: Patricia Sullivan, Texas Education Agency
Vice-Chair: Tom Howell, State of Michigan, Center for Educational Performance and Information

Policies, Programs and Implementation (PPI)
Chair: Laurel Vorachek, Anchorage School District (AK)
Vice-Chair: Cheryl McMurtrey, Mountain Home SD 193 (ID)

Technology (TECH)
Chair: Lee Rabbitt, Newport Public Schools (RI)
Vice-Chair: Peter Tamayo, Washington State Office of Superintendent

Completed Task Forces & Publications

Forum Guide to Longitudinal Data System (Series)

Purpose: By facilitating the collection and use of detailed, high quality student- and staff-level data linked over time, longitudinal data systems (LDSs) hold promise for enhancing both the way we use data to more effectively serve our students; and the way we do business, from the policy level, to the school office, and into the classroom. The LDS Task force has completed its work on a four-book series, Traveling Through Time: The Forum Guide to Longitudinal Data Systems. The series is intended to help state and local education agencies meet the many challenges involved in building robust LDSs, populating them with quality data, and using this new information to improve the educational system. With special emphasis on the business-level perspective, this series explores a broad range of issues involved in establishing an LDS that will have lasting and far-reaching impact.

Bruce Dacey (chair), Delaware Department of Education
Nancy Burke, Century Elementary Grafton Public School District (ND)
Corey Chatis, Chatis Consulting (formerly of the Tennessee Department of Education)
Laurie Collins, Mizuni (formerly of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association
Maureen Matthews, Council of Chief State School Officers
Pat Sherrill, U.S. Department of Education
Nancy Smith, DataSmith Solutions (formerly of the National Center for Education Statistics)
Steve Smith, Cambridge Public Schools (MA)
Raymond Yeagley, Northwest Evaluation Association
Consultant: Anthony Garofano, Quality Information Partners
Project Officer: Tate Gould, National Center for Education Statistics

Prior-to-Secondary School Course Classification System: School Codes for the Exchange of Data (SCED)
Purpose: The Prior-to-Secondary School Course Classification Working Group created a taxonomy for assigning standard codes to elementary and middle school courses. This taxonomy is intended to make it easier for school districts and states to maintain longitudinal student records electronically, and to transmit course taking information from one student information system to another, from one school district to another, and from a school district to a state department of education.

Helene Bettencourt (chair), Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics
Myrna Holgate, Idaho State Department of Education
Carol Jones, Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information
Carmen Jordan, Arkansas Department of Education
Raymond Martin, Connecticut State Department of Education
Kristina Martin, Macomb Intermediate School District (MI)
Coleen McClanahan, Iowa Department of Education
Vince Meyer, Wyoming Department of Education
Jeannette Nobo, Kansas State Department of Education
Cheryll Ostrom, Minnesota Department of Education
Michael Schwartz, New Hampshire Department of Education
Ryan Smith, Loess Hills Area Education Agency 13 (IA)
Patricia Sullivan, Texas Education Agency
Cathy Wagner, Minnesota Department of Education
Carolyn Wood, Harford County Public Schools (MD)
Consultant: Alyssa Alston, Council of Chief State School Officers
Project Officer: Renee Rowland, National Center for Education Statistics

Forum Guide to Ensuring Equal Access to Education Websites: An Introduction to Electronic Information Accessibility Standards
Purpose: The Section 508 Accessibility Working Group has developed a document to increase awareness of Federal Section 508 regulations, which require public organizations that receive federal funds (including SEAs, LEAs, and schools) to make electronic information accessible to all people, including those with disabilities. The group's product provides basic guidance for designing (or revising) websites to improve accessibility.

Lee Rabbitt (chair), Newport Public Schools
Jim Addy, Iowa Department of Education
Sheila Corey, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Kathleen Gosa, Kansas State Department of Education
Thomas Purwin, Jersey City Public Schools (NJ)
Rachael Traub, Massachusetts Department of Education
Raymond Woten, Virginia Department of Education
Consultant: Tom Szuba, Quality Information Partners
Project Officer: Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics

Forum Guide to Crime, Violence, and Discipline Incident Data
Purpose: The Crime, Violence, and Discipline Working Group has developed a guide designed for use by school, district, and state staff to improve the effectiveness of efforts to collect and use disciplinary incident data, including reporting accurate and timely incident data to the federal government. It provides recommendations on what types of data to collect, why it is critical to collect such data, and how to implement and manage an incident database.

William Smith (chair), Sioux Falls School District (SD)
James Haessly, School District of Waukesha (WI)
Derek Howard, Utah State Office of Education
Irma Jones, Tennessee Department of Education
Tom Ogle, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Janice Petro, Colorado Department of Education
Linda Rocks, Bossier Parish Schools (LA)
David Weinberger, Yonkers Public Schools (NY)
Consultant: Tom Szuba, Quality Information Partners
Project Officer: Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics

2010-11 Task Forces and Working Groups

Data Use Working Group
Purpose: While states and districts are collecting more data and capturing greater detail than ever before, the capacity among stakeholders to effectively use these data is often lacking. This working group will help education stakeholders to more effectively use data to improve the education system and student learning.

Kathy Gosa (chair), Kansas State Department of Education
David Feliciano, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (GA)
Tom Howell, Michigan Department of Education
Laurel Krsek, Napa Valley Unified School District (CA)
Al Larson, Meriden Board of Education (CT)
Allen Miedema, Northshore School District (WA)
Jay Pennington, Iowa Department of Education
Brian Snow, Maine State Department of Education
David Weinberger, Yonkers Public Schools (NY)
Consultant: Tom Szuba, Quality Information Partners
Project Officer: Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics

Education Privacy Working Group
Purpose: This working group is reviewing the current Forum documents on privacy and determining the scope of the revisions needed based on recent and new proposed FERPA guidance, and changes in education data management and use.

Levette Williams (chair), Georgia Department of Education
Challis Breithaupt, Maryland State Department of Education
David Fringer, Council Bluffs Community School District (IA)
Kathleen Gosa, Kansas State Department of Education
Mary K. Hervey DeGarmo, Brooke County Schools (WV)
John Metcalfe, Fremont County School District #1 (WY)
Laurel Vorachek, Anchorage School District (AK)
Consultant: Oona Cheung, Quality Information Partners
Project Officer: Ghedam Bairu, National Center for Education Statistics

Member Activities

The Forum welcomed the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) as a new associate member. NCEE conducts unbiased large-scale evaluations of education programs and practices supported by federal funds; provides research-based technical assistance to educators and policymakers; and supports the synthesis and the wide spread dissemination of the results of research and evaluation throughout the United States.

Other Activities

Forum Communications Subcommittee—First formed in 1998, then again in 2005, the Forum's Communications Subcommittee reconvened at the Summer 2010 Meeting to address the Forum's evolving communications needs. With growth of the Forum's expertise and reputation, the subcommittee has begun work to update and enhance communications plans and tools to help raise awareness of the Forum among the broader education community. Notably, these have included ongoing enhancements to the Forum website, distribution of thank you letters to Forum members' supervisors and state or district superintendents, enhancements to the Forum Voice newsletter, and revision of the Forum Overview PowerPoint.

Meetings

Summer 2010 Meeting: July 26-28, 2010 in Bethesda, MD
Winter 2011 Meeting: February 21-22, 2011 in Austin, TX
Summer 2011 Meeting: July 25-27, 2011 in Bethesda, MD